


Into the Woods

by jamiemackenziefraser



Series: Reworking OL Scenes [1]
Category: Outlander & Related Fandoms, Outlander (TV), Outlander Series - Diana Gabaldon
Genre: 4x03 The False Bride, Book 4: Drums of Autumn, Canon Divergence, Claire POV, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, I promise they won't be separated for too long, Worried!Jamie, all the hurt is just for the sake of comfort, and just a wee bit of gratuitous Jamie POV, and then fluff, hurt!Claire
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-05
Updated: 2020-09-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:54:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26310700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jamiemackenziefraser/pseuds/jamiemackenziefraser
Summary: In Season 4 Episode 3 "The False Bride", as Jamie and Claire are traveling through the woods of North Carolina, they get separated and spend the night apart. But what if things had been much worse for Claire when she got bucked off her horse, and she ended up hurt and alone in the storm?
Relationships: Claire Beauchamp/Jamie Fraser
Series: Reworking OL Scenes [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2080704
Comments: 20
Kudos: 98





	Into the Woods

**Author's Note:**

> If hurt/comfort is your jam, this is the story for you. If not, probably look elsewhere. Basically, this is my spicing up of s4e3 
> 
> Also this is written first-person, Claire's POV. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

I could feel the change in the air as Jamie and I rode through the North Carolina wilderness. There was a storm brewing. The sky was darkening, not that I could see it through the canopy of trees, but the light was fading even though there was still some time before nightfall. 

So when the first roll of thunder came, I wasn’t surprised, but Clarence the mule certainly was. At the first crash, he reared up, and then took off a full tilt into the forest. 

“Ifrinn,” came Jamie’s curse. He pulled hard on his horse's reins, saying “Christ, I’ll go after him.” He whirled around to face me then. “Stay here. I dinna want to take all this and weigh me down. You can make camp. We’ll no’ get much farther today.”

He quickly dropped his bags from the horse, and then in a second, turned his horse in the direction that Clarence had taken off. 

“Jamie, be careful,” I called to him. The wind was starting to pick up now, and I had to raise my voice to make sure he heard. 

“Aye, Sassenach, I promise. I’ll be back to you in but two moments.” 

With that, he rode off into the dark wood, leaving the baggage, me, and my unnamed horse alone in the small clearing.

My horse anxiously stamped and paced. Not a fan of thunderstorms either it seemed. 

“Woah,” I reached down to pat his neck soothingly. 

I looked around. He was obviously frightened, but my petting seemed to help. I didn’t want to dismount and disturb him more, let alone dismount and have him run off too, so I just kept talking in a soothing voice. 

After giving him a minute, I started to navigate him across the little clearing to where Jamie had dropped his baggage.

The rain was starting now, big drops spattering from the leaves above. The horse stamped anxiously, and I gave him another pat. 

Just as I was preparing to dismount, there was a deafening _crack_ , and lightning struck the tree directly to our right.

Everything seemed to go in slow motion then. The horse reared up wildly, neighing in panic. I was thrown from the saddle before I could even react. My body flew backward, and I tried to reach up and grab for a hold on anything, but my fingers just closed on empty air. I was falling backward, but just before I hit the ground, was caught by a jerk on my ankle. 

Pain shot up my leg as all my weight and momentum was taken suddenly by my ankle. 

It was caught in a tangle of the saddle and baggage fastenings. I was left upside down, dangling by my ankle. 

I screamed as my horse took off running at full gallop.

My head narrowly missed trees and bushes that flew by us. My leg was in agony, intense pain running through it with each jerky movement.

The horse still galloping at breakneck speeds, I tried with all my might to to reach up to grab the saddle. After several painful attempts, I managed to catch the edge.

I held on with every ounce of the strength in my fingers and struggled to pull myself up. But the material was so slick from the rain that I couldn’t get a solid grip. My fingers slipped from it, and I fell back, letting out a shout as my leg was pulled again.

All I could do was desperately clutch my thigh to try to relieve some of the agony, but that did nothing to stop the pain. I left helpless, dragged along upside down by the terrified horse.

I looked in front of me just in time to see the horse headed straight for a tree before I felt a massive impact to my head and everything went black.

*

I awoke to a horrible throbbing in my skull, pain in my leg, and the feeling of being absolutely drenched. I opened my eyes to find that it was completely dark now, the storm raging at full force. The rain was coming down in torrents, and I lay helpless on the muddy ground. 

Panic gripped my bones as everything came flooding back to me and I became aware of my situation. 

I was lost in the woods in a storm during the dead of night, likely with a broken ankle and a concussion.

I tried to sit up, pushing onto my elbows, but a bout of dizziness sent me back to the muddy ground. Groaning, I reached up to feel a bloody gash and on my forehead. I hissed as my fingers made contact, the insistent throb of my head intensifying. 

So I just laid on the ground, staring up at the darkness of the forest canopy above, and yelled “Jamie!” into the stormy night.

The rain was still pouring down mercilessly. The crashes of lightning and booms of thunder added to the cacophony of the chaotic night. The rushing of the wind and rain filled my ears so much that I could barely hear my own voice. Even if my husband was close, the roar of the storm would certainly drown out my calls.

Even so, the fear was starting to grip me in its icy fingers, and I called out again, “Jamie!”

The cry was immediately swallowed up by the wind. There was no way he would be able to hear me. I fought down the rising waves of panic. Every inch of me was wet and it was starting to get chilly. _Focus, Beauchamp_. 

I had to try to get up.

I pushed myself up onto my elbows, slowly. Nausea overwhelmed me again, and I thought my head might burst. I squeezed my eyes shut and took a deep breath, steeling myself. I ignored the pain in my head and pushed myself further up until I was sitting.

I took a movement to adjust to the agony of being upright. Then, gingerly, I reached down toward my leg.

I couldn’t help but let out a whimper as I made contact with my ankle— the part that was caught on the saddle— and pain jolted up my leg. It had to be broken.

That was no good; There was no way I was walking on this.

Fear started to creep into the edges of my brain again, but I stubbornly pushed it back. _You’re okay, keep it together, Beauchamp._

My eyes were starting to adjust to the darkness, and although I couldn’t properly inspect my wounds, I was able to make out the shapes of the trees through the pouring rain. 

With gritted teeth, I pushed myself over to the nearest one, dragging my leg behind me and head protesting.

After what felt like ages, I reached the safety of the solid trunk and I leaned against it, panting.

My brain raced, trying to figure out what to do. There was no way I could walk anywhere, and even if I could, I wouldn’t know where I was going. The only thing I could do was wait and pray that Jamie would find me. Surely he was looking right now.

I wrapped my drenched shawl tighter around my shoulders, shivering. God, it was cold. 

Every part of me ached. I could feel each beat of my heart in my head and my ankle. I wished distantly that the beat would slow, maybe that would ease the pain. I existed in the spaces between beats. 

More so even than the pain, I began to feel the weight of exhaustion heavy in my bones, dragging me down. My eyes started to droop closed. The roar of the storm started to grow distant as the comforting sensation of drifting into unconsciousness wrapped its warmth around me. 

It vaguely occurred to me that I was in very real danger. Alone in the woods, drenched, exposed, and with this severe of a head wound, sleep could mean death.

But I didn’t have the strength to fight it. I descended into the darkness and slowly drifted off, the roar of the storm fading into a blissful silence.

***

“Oh God, Sassenach, no.”

I woke to Jamie’s pained cry and to his forehead pressed against mine.

“Jamie?” I whispered. My voice came out weak and raspy.

He jerked back in surprise, his face drenched in tears. “Oh thank Christ,” he exclaimed, relief written plainly over his features.

He gently reached down again to cup my face and run this thumb over my cheek.

“I searched for ye all night. When I finally found ye lying here, face all bloody, so still and cold, and I couldna get you to answer me, I thought ye were dead.” His tumble of words stopped abruptly as he inhaled shakily, “Thank Christ ye’re alright.”

I started to cry as well, relief flooding through me that he was here. All the fear that had been bottled up last night came rising up as tears leaked down my cheeks. 

“I didn’t think you’d be able to find me,” I breathed, my voice betraying my pain.

“Oh Sassenach,” he pulled my upper body into his arms to hug my tightly, “I will _always_ find you.” He gently smoothed his hand over my hair, and the feeling of his touch eased the pain for just a second. 

Jamie held me pressed against the warmth of his body, the wetness of my clothes seeping into his. I realized suddenly that I was shaking like a leaf. 

He seemed to notice the same thing, because he hugged me closer. “Christ, mo chridhe, you’re freezing.”

He ran his hands up and down my arms, as if his touch alone could restore me. Then, he went silent for a second, studying me. I saw his adam’s apple bob as he swallowed hard. His eyes were wide with emotion as he asked in a soft, worried voice, “how badly are ye hurt?” 

It took me a second to answer him. Now that I was safe in his arms, and the adrenaline of the reunion was wearing off, my brain seemed to be covered in fog. I took stock of my body, struggling to think. My ankle still throbbed, and my head— God, my head. It felt like it was going to burst. That thought sent me whirling for a second, losing focus on my mission. It was so hard to stay conscious…

“Sassenach?” Jamie’s voice dragged me back to reality. 

“I don’t- know,” I finally forced out. “My head is bad... And my ankle- I think it’s broken.” I shook harder in his arms as I formed the words in my cotton-filled mouth, “it hurts.” 

Jamie let go of me with one hand, the other still cradling me against him, and quickly tugged his plaid from his shoulders to wrap it around me. 

“Dinna fash, I’m here. It’s goin’ t' be alright,” he reassured me. He traced a finger gently over my cheek. 

I blinked up at him. Everything in my brain was foggy, but I felt so incredibly safe. 

“Can I move ye? Mo nighean donn?” He asked, voice nearly a whisper. 

I opened my eyes at his words. _Opened my eyes? When had I closed them? What did he just say? Oh right, move me. Yes, let’s get out of here._

I breathed out some sort of assent, and Jamie started to move to pick me up. But as he reached an arm down, the movement jostled me, and a cry of pain escaped from my lips. 

He froze, murmuring a stream of apologetic Gaelic. His hand reached behind my head to support it. God— his hand was so big but so gentle as he cradled my skull in his palm. My eyes fluttered again. It was getting harder and harder to stay conscious... 

I forced them open and looked up at my husband with urgency. 

“Jamie,” I rasped, “you have to keep me awake. If I lose consciousness with this head wound-“

“I understand,” he nodded solemnly. He sounded confident, his face assuring me that he wouldn’t let anything bad happen, but I felt his grip on me tighten, betraying his fear. 

He started to move me again. This time, he gently lifted my upper body and repositioned me to sit up against the tree.

He reached down to his belt, unhooked the pouch of water, and placed it in my shaking hands. I gripped it with numb fingers, but made no move to raise it to my lips. 

“Sassenach... what happened?” Jamie asked, the words bursting from his lips as if he had been restraining himself from saying them for too long. “I returned to the spot where I left ye and found a tree on fire. And you were nowhere in sight.”

“Lightning struck the tree right before I could dismount,” I started to explain, struggling to keep my eyes open, “and I...” I trailed off, my mind empty save the pain.

“Hey, stay with me now, mo chridhe,” Jamie gently cupped my face in his hands and brushed his thumbs along the mud and rain stained skin of my cheeks. 

I leaned my face into the warmth of his hand and summoned the strength to continue. “My ankle... it got stuck in the saddle when the horse went into a frenzy. I was stuck, hanging upside down— for God knows how long— before he ran me straight into a tree and I blacked out,” I was able to finish my story.

Jamie’s blue eyes watched me intently the whole time I told the story, concern written plainly on his face. It was a shock to my system to see his usually carefully controlled expression so vulnerable with emotion. If Jamie was this scared now, things must be pretty bad. 

His thumb wandered up to brush close to the wound. I felt the sensation of his fingers sliding in the oozing blood. I could feel it dripping down the whole side of my face, and wondered how I must look. 

“Must have been a hard hit. Your eyes- they dinna look right, Sassenach,” he murmured, eyebrows furrowing.

“Probably the concussion,” I blinked slowly, struggling to keep them open.

He let his hands fall slowly from my cheeks, and slid them down my arms to hold my chilled hands. He squeezed them gently. 

“Let’s get ye out of these soaked clothes and by a fire, hmmm? I left everythin’ and the mule a ways away. Is it safe to move you, Sassenach?” Jamie’s voice was a low rumble. 

I nodded, and then hissed in pain, instantly regretting it as a stabbing sensation shot through my head. 

Jamie took my arms and placed them over his shoulders. I got with the program and wrapped them around his neck. Then, he slid an arm around my waist and placed his other hand to support me as he gently lifted me to my feet.

I found being upright a barely manageable task, and swayed dangerously. The movement caused the tiniest bit of my weight to rest on my injured ankle, and I let out a cry as pain shot up my leg. 

Jamie quickly reached down to swoop me into his arms, hooking underneath my legs and lifting. Before I knew it, I was off the ground, safe in his hold. 

I hugged my arms tightly around his neck and rested my head on his shoulder as he began walking across the muddy ground, taking careful steps. 

He stopped short just before we reached the horse. I barely noticed he had paused until I felt the weight of his gaze. I opened my eyes to find him staring down at me with an odd expression on his face. 

“What is it, Jamie?” I asked. I freed one hand and reached up to place it gently on his jaw. I stroked back and forth slightly as he took a breath. 

“I’ll no’ leave your side again,” he whispered. I could hear the strain in his voice. His blue eyes were wet with emotion. 

“Bad things do tend to happen when we’re apart,” I replied, tone soft but matter of fact.

“I’m so sorry, mo ghraidh, I shouldna have left ye,” he breathed.

“Jamie,” I traced my hand up and down his jaw, swiping my thumb up along his cheek, needing to feel him, needing to make him understand, “ _it’s not your fault._ ”

“But it is,” he said. “And when I saw ye, lyin’ there...” he choked up again, trailing off. He swallowed hard before continuing, “I couldna bear to lose you. I wouldha laid down next to you and died in that very spot.”

“Stop that,” I murmured, “I’m alright. I’m with you. And I know you won’t let anything happen to me.”

“Aye,” he whispered. He blinked once, then leaned down to press his lips to mine.

It was a soft kiss, but lingering. I could feel the relief in his touch, and the desperation not to lose me. I mustered as much strength as I had to kiss back, to reassure him— and to reassure myself. After a second, he pulled back, giving me one last press of the lips before straightening. 

Without a word, he walked the last few steps to the horse. He hoisted me higher, and I responded instinctively, lifting a leg over. He kept a steadying hand on my back for a second, making sure I was alright. 

I was so weak it was difficult to stay upright while Jamie mounted himself. As soon as he was on, I gratefully leaned back against him. He was warm and solid against my back. 

Jamie snaked an arm around my front, holding me protectively against him. The other arm reached around me to hold the reins.

With that, he clicked his tongue, and the horse started to walk.

As we went, I found it harder and harder to stay conscious. My eyelids started to droop closed, and the fogginess in my brain began to seep in again. My head hurt so bad, and I was so cold. Even wrapped in Jamie’s arms and his plaid, I was chilled to the bone. I had the feeling that I would never get warm.

My head dropped a little.

“Hey, hey, stay with me,” Jamie instructed, moving his arm around my middle to jostle me in the slightest.

Lashes fluttering, forcing my eyes open, I quietly asked, “Are we close?”

I hugged myself even tighter in the plaid, trying desperately to stay present.

“Not far now, lass” came his response. 

He was right. Before I knew it, he was pulling the horse to a stop. The feel of him disappeared from behind me as he dismounted.

Suddenly, big hands were on my waist, and Jamie was lifting me from the horse. 

I raised my injured foot and wrapped my arms around his neck as he lowered me to the ground. Even once I was standing on my good foot, Jamie didn’t let go of my waist, just pulled me closer to rest against him.

I let my forehead fall against his chest and held on to him.

“Are you alright, a nighean?” He asked me, voice concerned. His hand stroked lightly over my hair. 

“A little dizzy,” I answered honestly. The world was spinning around me, but I anchored myself to the feel of him. 

“Come ‘ere,” he murmured, lifting me into his arms once again. The motion was sudden, but he always picked me up with such ease. 

Jamie walked across the clearing to a spot of grass and laid me down. Without a word, he returned to the mule and unfastened the sleeping bundle. He soon had it laid out next to me and was kneeling down at my side.

He moved me gently, and I complied like a ragdoll, too tired and pained to resist my husband babying me like this. I just let him maneuver me, lifting me so I was laying on the blankets. 

“Where’s yer medicine bag, Sassenach?” He asked, brushing the tips of his fingers lightly across my forehead. God, every time he spoke to me, it was with such incredible gentleness that it made me want to cry. 

“In the little pack tied next to the canteen,” I murmured.

He nodded, and then went to retrieve it.

An odd sensation gripped me as he left my side again. I suddenly felt that I would lose him. Not now, maybe not soon, but I felt the loss as if he was slipping through my fingers. My insides clenched, and I was overcome with the desire to touch him, to hold him close and feel him hold me back. 

I wrapped his plaid more tightly around me and squeezed my eyes shut, trying to get rid of the feeling. But the fear still clutched tightly at my chest.

“Eyes open, lass,” Jamie’s voice ordered gently, but firmly, from above me. 

I opened my eyes to see he had reappeared and was standing above me with the medical kit gripped in both hands. 

“Yes sir,” I tried to joke, but it came off flat in my weak voice.

He sat down near my head and opened the bag.

“This one to clean, aye?” He asked me, holding up a bottle.

It took my brain a second to catch up before I murmured an affirmation. Once I did, he reached down to cup my face in both hands. God, they were so big and so warm. His thumbs brushed over my cheeks in comforting strokes.

“Are you comfortable, lass?” He asked tenderly. I knew exactly what was going on. He was clearly stalling. Jamie hated treating my wounds. He always said that he could bear pain himself, but he couldn’t bear mine. This certainly seemed true now as I could see the worry etched on his face. 

But I was glad that he asked, because I wasn’t comfortable. “Ground’s a little hard,” I answered, eyes falling closed as I did.

“Aye,” He acknowledged. He slid a hand underneath my shoulders and one under my head so he could lift me into his lap. He positioned me so that my upper body was propped on his folded legs and my head rested on his thigh.

I blinked up at him and managed a smile. “I meant a pillow, but this is nice,” I breathed a chuckle. The effort was answered by a throb in my head, but I ignored it. I reached up a slightly shaky hand to brush over his jaw. “Now quit stalling...”

Jamie’s lips stretched into an embarrassed smile. He prepared the cloth I had packed with the alcohol to disinfect. With one hand, he held my face; it was so big that it covered the entire side from temple to chin. With the other, he began to dab at the bloody wound.

My teeth gritted at the sting of the alcohol in my wound, and I clenched my jaw so as not to cry out. 

“I’m sorry, mo chridhe,” Jamie’s voice sounded just as pained as I felt.

I closed my eyes as he continued to clean, wiping the blood away with a steady and gentle hand.

I could feel the exhaustion starting to take over. It was so nice to be embraced by the darkness behind my eyelids. I felt myself being dragged under. _Perhaps a little rest..._

“Hey, hey, stay with me, a nighean,” Jamie’s voice interrupted the peace.

I obeyed, forcing them open, at least halfway. I couldn’t keep this up; I could feel my strength waning. 

“I’m so tired, Jamie,” I breathed, desperation apparent in my voice.

“I ken, mo ghraidh,” his thumb brushed over my cheek, “but I need you to stay awake.”

Jamie returned to his work on my forehead, fingers gentle but work painful.

“Tell me a story?” I asked, tilting my face a bit to look up at him.

Jamie’s lips titled in a half smile. “About what?” 

“Anything.”

He seemed to think for a minute as he continued to dab at my forehead, wiping the blood from my brow.

“Do you recall the first night at Leoch? When you insisted upon redressing my shoulder?” He asked.

“Of course,” I murmured, lacking the strength to say much else.

“That was the night I fell in love wi’ you,” he said, almost too quickly.

“You told me that once, at Lallybroch.”

“Aye,” he admitted, “and I didna tell you anymore. But I’ll tell ye now”. He lowered his hand to rest on his shoulder, while the other continued to absentmindedly brush at the skin around the wound. He looked away from me into the distance, lost in the memory. 

“When I held ye in my arms, by the fire, and you were cryin’... that was the moment I kent I wanted ye to be mine. Ye were so small in my arms, so soft, and so scared, and all I could think was that I would do anythin’ to take yer pain away. To make certain no one would make ye cry like that again. And I... I wished I could hold ye like that forever. That ye could be mine to hold.”

“Jamie,” I breathed, at a loss for words but so overcome with my love for him. 

He looked down at me with a smile. “Ye dinna think me improper for wantin’ ye so much so soon? That night... I was mad at m’self for lettin’ my heart run away like that. But that’s what ye do to me, Sassenach.” He was quiet for a second, and then spoke again, fingers tangling in the curls around my face, “it’s what ye still do to me. Every day I love ye more and more.”

I felt like all the air had left my lungs, and tears pricked at my eyes. “Come here,” I breathed.

I reached a hand to his face to guide him down to kiss me. His lips met mine softly, and soon he pressed harder. He was as desperate as I was to feel close. He was desperate to make sure I knew how much he loved me. My hand wandered to the nape of his neck to tangle in his red curls. God, I loved him just as fiercely. 

Our lips parted all too soon, and he straightened back up, retrieving the cloth that had fallen.

“Jamie...” my voice stuck in my throat as I said his name.

“What is it, mo chridhe?” He asked.

“I don’t think you improper. At all. I... That night- well… I didn’t want you to ever let go either. I was so scared being in an unknown time, and I felt so guilty for wanting you... but when you held me... everything seemed to fade away. I felt safe. Just like I feel every time you touch me now.”

He smiled down at me warmly, brushing my hair back with such tenderness. Then, his hand stilled and he brought it down to hold mine, tangling our fingers together.

“It seems this... thing between us- has always been there” he breathed.

I smiled, nearly brought to tears. Perhaps it was my exhausted body, or the head wound, or perhaps just his words combined with my fear of losing him, but I was so emotional.

He leaned down to give me another kiss, just a sweet press of the lips.

When he pulled back, he said, “now let me have a look at that ankle.”

He gently moved me from his lap, taking my head in his hands and placing me back on the blanket. Then, he moved down to sit at my feet.

He lifted my skirts respectfully, and slid his hand softly along my leg, stopping before he reached the ankle. I was sure it was swollen and discolored.

“Sassenach, this doesna look good,” his brow furrowed as he inspected it, two little lines appearing on his forehead. He prodded my ankle slightly with two fingers, and I cried out in pain. 

“It must be broken,” he said in a low voice.

“You’ll-“ my head fell back against the bedding as dizziness swept over me again, “you’ll need to find something to brace it with before you wrap it.”

“Aye.”

I closed my eyes as he searched around for the perfect brace. Normally, I would be insisting on giving him precise instructions, but I was in so much pain that I simply trusted him to take care of me. 

I was broken out of my distraction by the feeling of Jamie pressing something firm against my ankle, and then beginning to wrap it tightly. Small whimpers escaped me as he wrapped the cloth around my ankle, the pain too much to take silently.

Finally, he was done, and he reached up to take my face in his hands once again. “I’m sorry, mo ghraidh. It’s done now.”

“Lay with me, Jamie?” I asked.

He laid out next to me with a little sigh. I gathered just enough strength to roll over and nestle into his chest, laying an arm over him. He pressed a kiss to my forehead and shifted so that he had his arm wrapped around me, pulling me closer.

He rubbed my back, his hand so large and warm. I gently traced my fingers along his chest.

“Is it safe for you to sleep now, Sassenach? You need rest.” I felt the rumble of Jamie’s voice in his chest, vibrating against my ear. 

“You have to wake me up every once in a while to make sure there’s no brain bleeds or hematomas,” I instructed, eyes already closing. I hoped that was medically correct, my brain was too sluggish to think properly. 

“Rest now, mo nighean donn, you’re safe,” he murmured into my hair before kissing my head again.

I fell asleep to the sound of him murmuring Gaelic in a soft, soothing voice.

*

Jamie traced softly along his wife’s face, his fingers smoothing over the silky pale skin.

He loved touching her. But ever since she had returned to him, he couldn’t seem to stop. Sometimes he feared she wasn’t really here, that she was just a ghost or a figment of his imagination conjured by his broken and lonely mind.

But he could feel her... her skin soft underneath his fingertips. He could feel her side against his body, expanding and falling with every breath.

She was here. With him. Where she belonged. His Claire. 

He leaned down to kiss her forehead.

As he did, she stirred a little, murmuring something in her sleep. He hated to wake her, seeing her freed from her pain and having to drag her back to the harsh realities of consciousness. But her instructions echoed in his mind, and he would obey.

“Sassenach,” he called to her, bringing her further out of sleep. Her lashes fluttered against her cheek, and when he called her name again, she finally opened her eyes, gaze meeting his. 

“I just hadta make sure ye’re alright,” he explained softly.

“I am, come back to sleep,” she murmured, whiskey eyes already blinking closed again. 

He smiled fondly. Jamie loved seeing her like this, vulnerable and trusting, at absolute peace. She was melted against him, so soft and small. 

He shifted back down from where he was propped on his elbow above her, and took her in his arms again. He smiled as she snuggled closer, her breath already evening back out to the rhythm of sleep.

Yes, he loved this. He loved _her_ , more than anything.

He had half a mind to just stay awake and watch her, reveling in the fact that she was safe and with him, but he had already laid awake watching her for hours, and exhaustion was starting to weigh heavy on him.

Even so, the fear of the day still lingered in his mind. Sleep wouldn’t come easy. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the image of Claire lying bloody on the ground where he’d found her. She had been so cold when he touched her, so still that for a moment, he felt a glimpse of the anguish of living without her again. 

He shuddered at the thought, a shiver running up his spine, and Claire mumbled something incoherent and snuggled closer in response. 

That made him smile, easing the tightness in his chest. She wasn’t gone, she was right here with him, and nothing would take her away. Not accident or injury, not even fate. He wouldn’t let it. 

He wrapped his arms tighter around his wife and closed his eyes. He’d sleep for a bit and then wake her again. And maybe in the morning they could get out of this godforsaken place. 

As he settled into sleep, Claire’s body soft against him, he finally let out the breath he had been holding from the moment he discovered she was gone. 

They were together now. All was right in the world. 

**Author's Note:**

> Woohoo, thanks for reading! This is a whole story, but I wrote a continuation of this where I go totally away from Drums of Autumn with a new plot. So if you liked this and want another dose of h/c, maybe I'll post it :) Thanks again for reading!


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